


I'm Here For You

by KarsKars



Series: Keith's A Half-Breed - Team POV's [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Brotherly Love, Galra Keith (Voltron), Galra reveal, M/M, Mild Language, POV Shiro (Voltron), Post-Episode: s02e08 The Blade of Marmora, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), mild klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-11-29 13:55:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18224033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KarsKars/pseuds/KarsKars
Summary: Keith's Galra heritage reveal from Shiro's POVCan be read as a stand alone piece or as part of the series. Each piece of the series contains bits the others don't.





	1. Revelations

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Did He Just Say Half-Breed???](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18177326) by [KarsKars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KarsKars/pseuds/KarsKars). 



" _Two may enter. Come unarmed."_ The message vanished and Shiro turned to the others, how was he going to justify taking Keith. It had to be Keith, he had been acting so strangely at any mention of the Galra or the Blade of Marmora. This would be the perfect chance to get him away from everyone else so he could talk to his little brother.

In typical Lance fashion he was eager to tag along. _He wants to prove himself_ , Shiro thought. But the blue paladin wasn't his top priority right now, and knowing how Lance would react he thought of a justification that wouldn't hurt his ego, but would clearly name Keith as the only one who could come along.

"We haven't yet severed Zarkon's link with the black lion so it has to stay here, and the red lion can withstand the heat from that sun. So yes, it'll be Keith. Lance looked upset but didn't protest while Coran laid out the path the Blade's had sent them. Keith and Shiro boarded the red lion, Keith looking dangerously on edge as he slid into the pilot's seat.

"Keith, is everything ok?" Concern for the boy washing over his eyes.

"I'm fine"

"You kinda blew up at everyone back there. You'll have to control your emotions if you're going to lead this group someday." He could _feel_ the shock ripple through Keith and the slight resistance from Red. _She didn't want to give up her paladin_. It wasn't so much his own thought as it was the feeling he had gotten from Red.

"huh, lead the group?" Keith didn't believe him, Shiro knew he hadn't taken his words seriously the last time.

"When we were stranded, I told you if anything ever happens to me, I want you to lead Voltron." He turned to look at his little brother, surprised to see anger on his face before looking back to the path in front of them.

"I thought you were just delirious with pain, w-why would you make ME the leader?" shock resonating in his voice.

Turning once again to look at Keith, he tried to lace his voice with as much love and support as possible, willing the boy to value himself as much as Shiro did "Because I know what you're capable of, IF you can learn some self-discipline."

The conversation continued, mentioning Keith and Allura's leaving, and just as Shiro was about to press further into what was truly bothering is little brother, the lion's alarms went off.

Keith never ceased to amaze him, he expertly flew Red back to the narrow path and through the barrier. "Great job! That was close." was all he could get out as they caught their breath. After a few ticks he looked down at Keith, beaming with pride. "You really are an incredible pilot, you know that right." he didn't respond, but a small smile turned the corner of his lips as they touched down on the asteroid.

* * *

"... if that means I give up this knife, fine, take it." Keith's voice was strong and determined. But that wasn't what had Shiro's attention. The symbol on the knife had started to glow, before the entire blade followed suit. Glowing as it grew to form a sword in Keith's hand.

"You've awoken the blade" Kolivan fell silent as every eye in the room landed on Keith. "The only way this is possible is if Galra blood runs through your veins."

It took every ounce of self-control he had not to drop his jaw to the floor. Keith was Galra? KEITH??? Keith was GALRA???? No way. Shiro had known the boy since was only 10 and he would have known if a race of purple aliens had ever come to Earth. No way was this true - but there was no denying the clear evidence in front of him. Keith had activated the blade, a blade that ONLY someone who is Galra can activate. There was no denying it, Keith was Galra.

Shiro looked up to see Keith staring at him. _Shit!_ He quickly hid his shock with a warm smile and a nod resigning to work through his own feelings back at the castle, in private. Keith needed him right now, and he would NOT let his little brother go through this alone.

Shiro heard Kolivan's voice but not his words, his head was still reeling at the time. But he definitely caught Keith's "Shiro?" he sounded so scared, his feeble voice cracking on the name. Two Galra Blade's were walking towards him, they didn't look hostile but grabbed Keith by his left arm and dragged him along after them. Shiro saw Keith willingly go and knew Kolivan's words had been an order they were following. He stood there in silence, staring down at the floor as the other Blade's left the room leaving only Kolivan and the large one who had tackled Keith earlier.

"Your red paladin will be returned to you in a few dobashes. This is Antok, he will be joining us for our meeting in the Castle of Lions with your Altean Princess." Shiro looked up at him, taking in the blank stare of the Blade of Marmora masks before it retracted. Kolvian's face was not much easier to read than the mask. His expression was blank, but a slight crease sat between his brows."

"What does this mean for Keith" He asked, ignoring both the comments and Antok. He needed to know if Keith was going to be ok.

"It means nothing. He is your paladin, the half-breed is yours to deal with." Kolivan's voice was harsh but he continued "If we are to be working more closely with Voltron, I presume the half-breed will have questions for us. We will help him to be more in touch with his Galra heritage and train him to be a more useful ally to us."

"You don't care about him, you only care about making sure you can use him to your advantage" Shiro shot back. He didn't like this, he didn't like the way Kolivan was talking about Keith like he was some sort of weapon to be unlocked. He wasn't going to let Keith work with the Blades, they were destructive and volatile; two traits his little brother already struggled with. He wouldn't let them make it any worse.

"Hmm. The decision to train with the Blade of Marmora will be his" Kolivan said darkly. _Over my dead body!_ Shiro thought back.

* * *

A little while later, Keith returned in his red paladin armor. His right shoulder hanging lower than usual as one of the Blades told Kolivan they had patched him up temporarily.  _He's hurt!_ Shiro could see it, the past two days had taken their toll and Keith was looking exhausted.

"Shall we proceed?" Kolivan had turned to face him again, gesturing to the exit. As they were walking out of the base, Shiro realized that Red had stopped attacking at some point. They approached the lion and it lowered its large head to growl menacingly at Kolivan and the other Blade members that had followed them out. Keith gave a dark chuckle and reached out to touch his lion. She calmed immediately, opening her mouth to allow them access. Shiro turned to see a look of trepidation cross Kolivan's face, if only for a moment.

Once again Keith expertly flew Red through the treacherous path. Glancing to the side, Shiro noticed the Blade looked rather impressed. Shiro beamed down at Keith, filled once again with pride. As they cleared the 'danger zone' the lion's alerts started going off, the castle had activated its targeting system and was preparing to fire on the base. A count down appeared on the screen and Shiro immediately instructed Keith to open a hailing frequency.

3 ... 2 ... 1 ... "Princess, We’re coming back! And we’re bringing someone you should meet!" He heard the group cheer and Coran confirming that they were alright before Shiro closed the connection. He wanted to talk to Keith alone for a moment. Exchanging a knowing look with Kolivan he watched as the Galra left the cockpit saying something about needing to prepare for the Alteans.

Shiro turned and looked down at Keith, his little brother just stared straight ahead, focusing on flying his lion. "Keith." he paused as the boys violet eyes looked up to lock onto his. "can you let Red fly herself back, I'd like to talk to you before we see the others." He saw about 30 emotions flash across Keith's face before the boy looked down, sighed, and turned on the lion's autopilot.


	2. Suspicions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro didn't even realize it but he had closed the distance between them at some point in their conversation and was now standing right in front of Keith. Pulling him into a tight hug he whispered "You are NOT alone. You will not be going through this alone. Do you understand that?"
> 
> Keith nodded in his shoulder before pushing away. "Shiro? Please don't tell them yet. I want to process it before I tell them. And I will … tell them … eventually."

Getting up from the pilot's seat, Keith leaned against the opposite wall from Shiro, still looking down at his feet. "Keith, do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently, not wanting to spook the boy.

"No." His reply was curt as he turned his head to the side, still avoiding eye contact.

"I'm here for you. If you want to talk, that is." Shiro begged with his mind for Keith to look at him, to see how much he cared. But the boy just kept looking to the side without saying a word. A few moments passed and Shiro broke the silence again. "Keith, did you know?"

That got his attention. The red paladin’s head snapped up, his violet eyes bristling with worry. "I suspected" was all he said.

"Hmm. How?"

He still wasn't making eye contact. "I've never been good at connecting with people"

"Being socially awkward doesn't mean you're any less human."

"Well it does in this case." Keith's sassy rebuttal made Shiro chuckle and caught the boy crack a small smile. "Besides, there was more than just that."

"Like what?" there was a long pause before he prompted again "Keith, please talk to me. I love you and I'm here for you. I won't leave or be upset, you can tell me."

Taking a deep breath, Keith opened his mouth to explain all the clues. "Ok here goes ... so you know how only Galra can interact with Galra tech? Like Pidge has to hack in using Earth or Altean tech to override their systems or whatever, and you have to use your robotic arm, and the others just use the arms of a sentinel to open doors. Well, I didn't need to do that. When we were on the Balmera, Lance and I had to close the escape hatch and he couldn't get the bay door to close so I put my hand on the screen and it just ... closed. It registered my touch and the door closed." He took a deep breath again, "then when we went to the docking station where Allura was captured, I was able to open the doors again with my hands, confirming that I can interact with their tech. And after I ran into that druid and some of the quintessence spilled on my hands they turned ..." another deep breath to build the courage "purple" he said sheepishly looking up at Shiro who did not do a good job of hiding his shock.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Shiro said as he glanced down at Keith's hands.

"Because it went away. So I kept my mouth shut." He started folding his hands in themselves, a nervous reaction to Shiro staring at them.

Looking back up, he met Keith's eyes and smiled encouragingly "please continue"

Keith sighed "When we went to save Allura, and I was fighting Zarkon," he flinched at the name "I was out matched, I knew it and he knew it, but I was going on pure instinct. I connected to Red on a different level, unlocking a new weapon in the process." He breathed again and continued his voice much stronger now "As we fought, he - Zarkon, told me I fight like a Galra soldier." Shiro's eyebrows shot up but Keith didn't notice, already carrying on "I thought it was weird that I could use their tech, and had started suspecting something was off when my hand turned purple. But that, those words, they made my head spin. I thought about them every night, I dreamt about Zarkon finding me and making me into one of his soldiers. I'd wake up sweating and checking my hands to make sure they hadn't turned purple again." He stopped, his heart rate was clearly rising and he was becoming more and more panicked as he relayed his fears.

"It wasn't until we met Ulaz, and I saw the symbol on his sword that I really believed it. I didn't want to say anything in case it wasn't true. I know how pissed Allura is going to be, and Pidge." He closed his eyes tightly, "Shiro, what if they don't want me to be a part of Voltron anymore? I understand why, but what would happen to me?"

Shiro's heart ached! He watched the fear take over Keith's face as the boy hung his head in shame. "You're not going anywhere Keith. You are the Red Paladin, you are FAMILY." The boy huffed and Shiro tried to reassure him "Not just MY little brother, but everyone’s brother! Keith we have all become each other's family out here. We all care about you deeply. I know you know I care but so do Pidge, Hunk, Allura, Coran, and even Lance." Keith rolled his eyes but blushed slightly and Shiro chuckled. "You are our family, whether you like it or not. Human or Galra, or a hybrid of both. It doesn't matter; we will love you no matter what."

Shiro didn't even realize it but he had closed the distance between them at some point in their conversation and was now standing right in front of Keith. Pulling him into a tight hug he whispered "You are NOT alone. You will not be going through this alone. Do you understand that?"

Keith nodded in his shoulder before pushing away. "Shiro? Please don't tell them yet. I want to process it before I tell them. And I will … tell them … eventually."

"It's your secret and your decision. I won’t say anything; you can tell them when you are ready."

"No, I want you to be the one to tell them, you're better at that kind of stuff than I am. I'm just not ready for anyone to find out yet."

"Ok" He pulled Keith back into another hug. "When you're ready."

* * *

Red landed back in the hanger after Keith re assumed the controls. Looking out Shiro could see that everyone was there waiting for them and squeezed his right shoulder reassuringly. Keith winced, inhaling sharply, but didn't say anything. Kolivan came back into the cockpit, having felt the lion land and the three of them exited into the hangar.

Immediately Kolivan approached Allura, bowing to introduce himself to the Princess. Not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to Keith, Shiro made sure to keep his eyes on the exchange. It wasn't until Lance spoke up that he turned to look at his little brother, who was fading fast. Panic set in as he saw the blood coming down Keith's right shoulder. _Oh god!_  He thought to himself. _When I squeezed, it must have opened the wound._ The blood was trickling down his armor and pooling on the floor. He looked up at the boy's face and saw him start to sway. "Coran! Get Keith a healing pod right away. He's injured."

"I said I'm fine!" Keith's voice was gruff as he protested.

"Nonsense, the trials require adequate recovery, especially for a half-breed" _OH GOD NO!_   There it was. The look on Keith's face spoke volumes and confirmed any questions the group may have had. Keith was on the verge of passing out as Lance and Allura spoke up demanding answers.

Keith looked right at Shiro and he could feel the pleading in his eyes. He needed to be removed from the situation, IMMEDIATELY.

Taking action Shiro spoke up, directing their attention away from Keith and onto himself "Let’s all move to the lounge and I will tell you what happened on the base. Kolivan," he paused redirecting to address the Galra, "I think this needs to be a private discussion. Please go back to the Blades, we will continue tomorrow." Taking note of Keith's rapidly deteriorating state, he quickly turned and continued “Coran, can you take Keith to a pod?" Instantly Keith's mouth opened to protest. _Oh no you don't. I'm getting you away from their questions. TRUST Me!_ He tried to yell through his eyes hoping the boy would understand. "Keith, I don’t want to hear it! Just go with him, you need to rest and heal."

Any resistance Keith was about to throw slipped away as he collapsed onto Coran. The Altean picked him up off Red's paw and helped him down the hall towards the medbay without a word. Shiro turned to the others and gave them a look that dared them to speak as they turned to head for the lounge in silence. Shiro noted that Allura didn't move, but he wasn't about to argue with her at that moment.

 


	3. A Hard Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He knew Keith’s wishes, that he be the one to share the story, but he hadn’t even had time to process it all yet either. How was he supposed to will the others into understanding when he wasn’t fully there himself? Taking a deep breath, he started to speak.

Shiro entered the lounge with Lance at his heels. Surprisingly he hadn’t said a single word as they walked from the hangar. The blue paladin uncharacteristic behaviour did not helped ease Shiro’s worry over how the others were taking the news. Still draped in silence, they took seats on the couch with Pidge and Hunk to wait for their Altean friends to join them. Eventually the door hissed to life as Coran entered, carrying Keith’s armor and covered in his blood. Pain hit Shiro harder than he had expected. His little brother was hurting, both physically and emotionally, and there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t make it go away, not this time.

"He should only need to be in there for less than a varga." Coran was quiet, “Luckily his injury isn’t too serious, but he’s in pretty rough shape. I’m surprised he was able to keep his composure as long as he did."

Memories of Keith’s childhood flashed through his mind: the pain at the loss of his father, the abuse from the Garrison, the neglect in the foster homes, and so many more. “He’s a tough kid”.

Shiro’s heart stilled to a stop at the words from Allura’s mouth as she finally arrived to the lounge “Coran! Clean that Galra’s blood off your clothing." Her distain was clear. He wanted to jump up and yell at her, maybe activate his cybernetic hand to remind her Keith isn’t the only one with ties to the Galra. But he couldn’t find it in him, he couldn’t bring himself to say or do anything. He knew she was hurting, he had felt it himself at the base. The feelings of betrayal, disgust, anger, repulsion, but most strongly was the feeling of fear. He knew Allura’s reaction would be different, her strongest feeling towards the Galra was anger and he couldn’t bring himself to call her out on it without feeling a hypocrite.

But he didn’t have to; Lance had jumped to Keith’s defense. Yelling her words back at her. Reminding not just Allura, but everyone that this was KEITH. Shiro couldn’t have been more proud of Lance, he had always been so loyal and was clearly fond of his ‘rival’, but this act of solidarity was more than Shiro expected. He just beamed up at the Cuban boy.

“Have a seat Allura!” Shiro tried to be as gentle as possible while looking at the princess. He knew she was hurting and didn’t want to make it worse.

“Do not tell me what to do on my own ship. I will stand thank you very much.”Allura’s indignant tone rang through the room.

“Suit yourself.” This was going to be hard to get through. He knew Keith’s wishes, that he be the one to share the story, but he hadn’t even had time to process it all yet either. How was he supposed to will the others into understanding when he wasn’t fully there himself? Taking a deep breath, he started to speak, “When we arrived at the base we were brought in to face Kolivan. Keith had brought his dagger with him and ...”

“He did what?!” Shouted Pidge “you were told to come unarmed! Why would he do something so stupid?!”

Her sudden interruption had him shaken, and he knew if they kept interrupting him at every reveal this would take longer than he his reserves would last. “Please! Let me finish.” Giving the room a stern look, one he had perfected back at the Garrison dealing with problem cadets. A look he had often had to use on Keith, he warned the others not to interrupt again before continuing with his story. The only subsequent interruptions being the occasional gasp, or elongated breath.

“ … saying he didn’t need to know where it came from, that working together to defeat Zarkon was more important.” He paused. This was it, this was the big moment. Shiro took in a ragged breath of air and tried to brace himself for the reveal.”

“So what happened?” Prompted Hunk, he was nervous.

Looking around the room, trying to gauge their reactions and taking another moment to breath, Shiro pressed on. “After he said that, the knife ... it … well it glowed. Then it grew into a sword with a glowing purple line down the side, similar to the one Ulaz had but different. Kolivan said the only way to awaken the blade is to have Galra blood. Meaning ...”

“Meaning I’m part Galra” Keith finished for him. Internally Shiro jumped and screamed, but on the outside only his eyes visibly reacted. They flew open in shock as Pidge and Hunk let out a small ‘shit’ each and Lance gasped out a Spanish curse. They hadn’t noticed him come in and Shiro wondered how long he had been standing there, listening.

The shock of suddenly hearing Keith’s voice while so focused on his story had caused his cybernetic hand to twitch. No one noticed due to the position he was in, but he had felt it. Keith startled him many times before, the boy was incredibly light on his feet and often walked around without announcing his presence, but NEVER had he reacted like this. _Just one more thing to work through tonight._ He thought to himself.

He looked up and saw the pained look on the boy’s face. Trying to force Keith to feel his concern for his little brother, he laced his voice with as much love as possible, “Keith, how are you feeling?”

It had worked, Keith relaxed slightly before shrugging that he was fine. He didn’t look it.

Coran surprised Shiro by getting up from the couch to approach Keith, who tentatively stepped back before relaxing into the Altean’s concern for him. _This was going much better than he had thought._ Suddenly, as if fate herself was laughing at him, he caught Keith’s back as he flew out the door. _Shit._

“Maybe he just needs some time to think?” Hunk’s voice pulled him back to the conversation.

“Keith should not be alone” Shiro could feel it deep inside. He remembered from when Keith was younger, the boy would retreat into himself, hiding from the pain was easier than being rejected … again. “He’s spent far too much of his life alone, he needs our support. He needs us to show him that we still care, that he’s still welcome here”

“I’m not so sure he is” Allura’s voice was cold, tightly holding back the emotions in her throat. Her words were a confirmation of Shiro’s fears. She was not going to be ok with this.

“EXCUSE ME??” It was Pidge’s turn to jump to Keith’s defense. Shiro looked over at the girl shaking her fists behind her back in a barely contained rage as she shouted at the Altean Princess. He was so proud of his team, of his _family._ Coming together to defend their fellow paladin even though each of them was attempting to process this dramatic information.

He didn’t try to stop her when Allura walked out, but Lance was another story. The sight of him leaving plunged Shiro’s heart to the bottom of his gut. Maybe he had mistaken Lance’s defense of Keith. “Lance? You’re leaving too?” he heard his voice break slightly, the disappointment clear on his face.

“Ya, someone needs to go talk to him. He already knows you support him but I think he needs to hear it from one of us.” _Loyalty._ Shiro smiled at Lance, nodding his agreement. He would have to tell Keith how lucky he is to have someone as truly special as Lance in his life. He watched the Cuban boy leave before turning back to the fury that was Pidge.

Coran had made the mistake of grabbing her arm and she unloaded on him, saying words he’d only ever heard come from Matt’s mouth. _God, she reminded him so much of Matt._ He had joined Coran in trying to calm her down “Pidge, Pidge, stop yelling, ok that’s enough, PIDGE. Ughh. KATIE! ENOUGH!” But she wasn’t listening and she was too fast and to catch. Finally Hunk intervened and Shiro was able to silence the stream of profanities.

“Well that was colourful” was all he could think to say. She broke out into a laugh as the tension started to dissipate. It wasn’t long before Hunk and Pidge had him explaining everything Keith had said in the red lion. He knew Keith wouldn’t want to be the one to explain it, but he couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. Still the words needed to be said.

 


	4. A Bond That Can't Be Forced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Ok - BED children!" He scolded, struggling not to crack at the innocent look on Hunk's face as the two young paladins turned towards their hall. The group headed in their separate directions and Shiro moved to follow Lance. He was going to talk to Allura, maybe he could help her understand Keith's fears and help her with her own.
> 
> After wandering around for a while he spotted Lance walking into Red's hangar.

Shiro watched Lance turn down the hall in search of Keith. Wanting nothing more than to accompany him, but knowing how Keith may feel overwhelmed, he instead turned to the others "I know you guys are just as worried as Lance, but we don't want to bombard Keith all at once. He is exhausted and needs to sleep. Come to think of it, none of us have slept and we could all use some rest. I think it's best if we just leave Lance to talk to Keith. I'm sure he will be able to help."

"I'm sure he will" Hunk winked. _Dear lord!_ Shiro rolled his eyes at Hunk's not-so-subtle line and tried to stifle a laugh.

"Hunk ... really?!" _Thank you Pidge!_

"Ok - BED children!" He scolded, struggling not to crack at the innocent look on Hunk's face as the two young paladins turned towards their hall. The group headed in their separate directions and Shiro moved to follow Lance. He was going to talk to Allura, maybe he could help her understand Keith's fears and help her with her own.

After wandering around for a while he spotted Lance walking into Red's hangar. Watching for a moment he saw the Cuban boy freeze at the sight of the smeared blood pool on the floor, before breaking into a run for the lion. Shiro's heart swelled as he watched the boy, remembering himself running up to Adam back in their Garrison days. Yes, it was Lance that Keith needed right now, whether he could admit that to himself or not was irrelevant.

The doors to the hangar closed on Lance's voice as he called up to the red lion “Keith?? You in .... " and Shiro resumed walking, smiling to himself as he went. He had no idea where Allura would be and he was finding himself increasingly more lost with every turn. Unlike Keith, he hadn't spent the first few weeks wandering the castle making a mental map.

Soon he found himself standing outside a pair of large, grand doors. The Altean markings on them were lit with the same blue energy of the castle. It wasn't Allura's quarters, but did give off a certain _energy_ like Allura did. Knocking lightly, he opened a door and ventured in.

The large room was bright and instead of the cool floor of the castle, it had an open sky over a grassy meadow. Allura sat atop a slight hill, surrounded by small pinky purple flowers. Somewhere in the distance he could hear mooing from Kaltenecker, and it made the whole place feel more 'separate' from the castle.

The breeze rustled his hair as he crossed the meadow to sit with the princess. She gave no acknowledgement of Shiro's arrival but didn't object to his presence. She just sat in the grass petting the delicate flowers.

"Altean Juniberries" He heard her soft, mournful voice hum the words. Looking down at her, he smiled and picked one up to smell. They were very fragrant, the sweet scent reminding him of cherry blossoms back home.

At first he didn't speak and they just sat there enjoying the fresh breeze and sweet smells. A part of him wanted to lay back and fall asleep in the soft grass, but he was here for a reason. Turning slightly he reached his hand out - his human hand, and lightly rested it on Allura's; trapping a small flower beneath it. "Allura .. "

“Don’t” she replied with a pained look on her face. “Just don’t Shiro. I know why you’re here and I can’t give you the reassurance you are looking for. Please, just leave me alone.” The hurt in her words was so strong that he wanted to pull her close and apologize for bothering her. But he couldn’t, his little brother was on the line and Keith meant so much more to him.

“Allura, hear me out. I understand how you feel … “

“You do?” The harsh sarcasm in her voice was an abrupt change to her previous tone. “You know how I feel? Tell me Shiro, when did you lose your family? Your home? Your people and your culture? No, you have no IDEA how I feel. The Galra took everything from me and he is one of them. How can I ever trust him when I can’t even bare to look at him.” The anger in her tone was a thin mask for the pain beneath it. Shiro could feel her loss peeking through every word.

“Keith, didn’t do any of those things, he is an innocent kid. You are attributing all of your pain and loss onto him and that is not fair.”

“He may not be purple, but when I look at him all I see is Galra. The Galra who destroyed everything I loved.” She breathed in short, shallow bursts. “He is not welcome in my castle or the red lion … my FATHER’S lion.” She nearly spat the words at Shiro.

He had forgotten that Red used to be piloted by King Alfor and a sudden thought came to him. He may have found a way to connect to Allura. “The red lion once trusted King Alfor as her pilot. She trusted him as her paladin and as the right arm of Voltron. As you have said yourself, the lions choose their paladins; it is a bond that cannot be forced. I have felt it with Black, and now Red feels it with Keith. She trusts him like she trusted your father.” He paused, gauging her reaction before continuing, “And I trust her judgement. I have known Keith since he was 10 years old. He is a good kid, sometimes a little difficult to deal with and hotheaded, but he has a good soul. He wants to help, he wants to bring peace and end the war. Right now our red paladin is hiding in his lion, terrified that the ONLY family he has will reject him like everyone in his life always has.” Allura looked up at those words, but moved her gaze away just as quickly.

Shiro pressed on, “We all have family back on Earth waiting for us: Lance, Hunk, Pidge, and myself. But Keith has no one. After his father died he was alone, being bounced around from foster home to foster home. He is inside Red, trying to protect himself from the pain of being rejected by yet another family.”

“He is NOT my family.” The words were harsh, cold, and distant. Shiro could feel it, there was no sense it pleading with her heart – she had already closed it.

“If that is truly how you feel then there is nothing more I can say.” He stood to leave, but turned when a new thought popped into his mind. “Allura, you don’t need to love him, or even care – but you do need to let him stay. He has nowhere else to go and we NEED him. Red is stubborn, almost as stubborn as Keith is; she will not give up her paladin so easily. Keith is the paladin of the red lion – the ONLY paladin of the red lion. If you can’t find it in your heart to allow him to stay, at least find it in your brain. We are in a war Princess, a war that needs Voltron, and Voltron needs Keith whether you like it or not.” He was done dancing around her feelings; she needed to see the bigger picture.

Walking towards the door he heard her voice follow him and he froze.

;“Fine.” She huffed out her answer. “Keith can stay. He can stay, but he is not welcome.”

* * *

Shiro sat on his bed and stared at the wall in front of him. He hadn’t made any progress with Allura, but at least Keith was going to be staying. He knew what the alternative was and he didn’t like it. If Allura had stuck to her guns and forced Keith out, he would have gone to the Blades. There was nothing for him on Earth and they had already offered to train him. Shiro didn’t want his little brother working with them; he knew what it would do to Keith. The boy was already fragile enough, he didn’t need to be told he over and over again that he was expendable – he might start to believe it.


	5. A Late Night Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The shape stilled and turned back towards Shiro’s room. Stepping back he watched a very tired Keith walk right past him and curl up in his bed. The boy had curled into an impossibly small shape; it reminded him of a cat looking for comfort. Sighing slightly he walked over, he knew this behaviour from when Keith was younger. Shiro sat on the bed pulling his little brother onto his lap. He had hoped Lance would have been able to help, but apparently not.

A quiet knock on his door woke Shiro from his restless sleep. He almost thought he had imagined it until the faint sound landed on his ears again. Blinking slightly, and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Shiro stood and crossed the room to open the door. He peered out to see a slumped shape, topped with a matt of thick black hair, slowing making its way down the hall.

“Keith?” He whispered, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention.

The shape stilled and turned back towards Shiro’s room. Stepping back he watched a very tired Keith walk right past him and curl up in his bed. The boy had curled into an impossibly small shape; it reminded him of a cat looking for comfort. Sighing slightly he walked over, he knew this behaviour from when Keith was younger. Shiro sat on the bed pulling his little brother onto his lap. He had hoped Lance would have been able to help, but apparently not.

After several moments of silence, he spoke as softly as possible, “Did you talk with Lance? He had been looking for you.” The gentle words flowing from him like a sweet caramel as the boy only nodded. Keith had a habit of closing in on himself and pushing his feelings deep within to avoid dealing with them. It wasn’t healthy and Shiro had worked hard to get him to start opening up; he wasn’t going to let him regress now. “Keith, do you want to talk about it?” he asked fully knowing the answer.

The boy just shook his head slightly and squeezed his eyes closed, still curled up to Shiro’s lap. Sitting in silence for what felt like ages, it slowly dawned on him what this moment reminded him of. He remembered the actions right away, but had forgotten the cause. Keith got like this after a nightmare! He must have had a terrible dream again, one that he couldn’t shake himself from. Realizing that he had only heard the faint knocks because he, too was having a restless night, Shiro wondered how many times Keith had come to his room with out him knowing. How many times had the boy stood in the hall knocking only to turn and head back to his room after no response?

His heart plummeted to the bottom of his gut as he starred down with tear filled eyes. Keith must have sensed it because he in that moment he turned his head and caught his gaze. With inhuman agility Keith shot straight up and was sitting on his knees facing Shiro, a pained look on his young face.

“Did I do something wrong?” The young voice sounded scared as his eyes widened before immediately falling, head hanging to rest his chin to his chest, “I have to say good bye don’t I?” Tears filled the violet eyes as Keith sank back on his heels, resigned to his fate. “Lance said … “ He paused and Shiro was about to interject but the boy continued, “Lance said that it would be ok, that Allura would come around.” His voice dripping with sadness.

Shiro had had enough, no more suffering! “You aren’t going anywhere!” He said pulling his little brother close.

“I - I’m not?”

“Of course you’re not. Do you really think I would let ANY one send you away?” Shiro tried to plead with the boy to hear him, not just his words, but to really hear HIM. Keith wasn’t going anywhere. Not to the Blades, not back to Earth, and certainly not anywhere that Shiro wasn’t.

After a few ticks he released his little brother from the vice grip hug, hearing him take a deep breath. “I’m glad Lance was able to find you. Did you have a good heart-to-heart?” He said in a more lighthearted tone, trying to pull Keith from the black hole was getting sucked into.

“Ya actually. He’s a pain-in-ass but he’s not so bad.” Keith blushed slightly and Shiro just grinned. _Not so bad eh?_ He thought to himself. “He helped a lot to be honest. Didn’t say much, just kinda stayed and … I don’t know … it made me feel better I guess.” Sheepishly he looked up, clearly gauging his big brother’s reaction. But Shiro just smiled down at him.

“Lance is a good guy, he cares deeply and is very loyal. You are lucky to have some one like him on your side.” Realizing it would lighten the mood he added, “And Pidge; Geez!!” This made Keith’s deepening blush turn to a laugh, a genuine laugh.

“Haha ya, Lance told me about her ‘colourful’ vocabulary. Would have been funny to see. Was Hunk really scared?”

“So Terrified! He was cowering in a corner.”

“Hahahaha!! Oh man I missed it! Lance left that part out. He just said ‘Hunk was terrified’ and that it took both you and Coran to calm her down.” he chuckled as an imagined vision of the scene passed over his eyes.

Shiro was laughing with him until he saw violet eyes sink again. _Damn it Keith! Stay out of your own head!_ “What’s wrong?” A long silence hung between them.

“ … Keith, what’s wrong. Come on little brother talk to me.”

“Allura said I can stay?” The fragility was back in his voice. “Like, she actually said those words?”

“Yes, Keith. She actually said those words.” The small smile that spread across his face was all the confirmation Shiro needed to keep the rest of Allura’s final thought to himself. As far as he and the others were concerned, Keith was more than welcome. “You should get some sleep, you’re exhausted.”

“Ok - I’ll go back to bed, but you don’t look so hot yourself FYI.” The red paladin was back, that sassy attitude that Shiro had come to enjoy over the years.

He feigned an offended look while Keith shot him a chuckle. “Seriously though, Shiro you need some sleep too. Stop being ’Space Dad’ and stop worrying about me. I’ll be fine, I always land on my feet.” He paused for a second then smiled darkly, “After all I’m part space cat aren’t I?”

“Space Cat?” Shiro asked puzzled.

“Ya, that’s what Lance calls the Galra; Purple Space Cats.” He looked down at his knees, then back up to Shiro’s eyes with the slightest hint of a flush on his cheeks. “I think it’s kinda funny”

“Me too.” Shiro smiled back as Keith got up from the bed and walked towards the door. “Sweet dreams” he said to the boy, the door closing behind his words.

 


	6. Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a tick an image appeared before them, it was his apartment back on Earth. Sitting on the couch was a 14 year old Keith wrapped in a purple blanket and resting his head on Adam’s lap. There were wadded up tissues on the coffee table and a bottle of Nyquil with a straw in it. Shiro felt the warmth of the memory wash over him as he watched his boyfriend and little brother. A movie was playing that only Adam seemed to be watching, Keith was sound asleep … purring.
> 
> “I remember this.” He said as a tear fell, “he was so sick, we were worried and didn’t know what to do. He started acting strangely but would panic if we mentioned taking him to the doctor so Adam just sat with him on the couch letting him sleep cause he wouldn’t sleep alone.” Shiro took a deep breath as Coran continued sifting.

Shiro was up earlier than usual, especially considering the interrupted sleep. Even after Keith had left, he had not been able to reach a deep sleep.

He woke up feeling tired, groggy, and not at all refreshed. The lids hung heavy on his eyes, the corners of his mouth dropped low, and the rasp in his throat was undeniable. Shiro was exhausted.

Sitting on the edge of his bed he went over the events of the past few days in his mind. Flipping through the memories like a highlight reel, as he replayed them for his tired brain to process. The memory of Keith activating his knife flashed before him, followed immediately by Kolivan’s words ‘The only way this is possible is if Galra blood runs through your veins’. Shiro felt his heart rate pickup and his cybernetic hand activate. _NO!_ Keith was his little brother. He was not going to be afraid of him. This was bigger than he could handle on his own; he knew he would need some help dealing with it.

Getting up from his bed he opened the door to the quiet hall of the still asleep castle and made his way to the training room. It was only when he held his hand over the door pad that he realized there was a strong possibility Keith was inside. He could hear movement as the doors slid open, only to reveal Coran.

“Aww Number 1 you’re up early!” Coran’s voice was filled with feigned cheer as he sat amongst a mess of robotic parts.

“So are you” was all he could manage as a reply.

Crossing the room, he sat in front of their Altean ally and watched him as he repaired the training bots.

“Number 4 does a lot of damage.” His words were solemn, as he lifted his head from his work to look Shiro in the eyes. It was obvious he hadn’t slept much either. “Since he spends most of his time here, I figured I should have the bots repaired for him. He might need the release.”

“Coran, you are taking this really well. I thought I could handle it but I’m starting to think maybe I was wrong. I can’t control my subconscious and I’m afraid Keith will notice.” Shame dripped from his words as he squeezed his replacement had.

“Number 1 … Shiro, I may have a way to help you sort through your fears a little faster.” Coran stood and walked briskly to a blank wall. Touching the panel made it pop out, revealing that it was in fact a drawer hidden flush in the walls. Inside were the mind melding headbands.

Returning to sit in the same spot, Coran passed Shiro one of the bands, and placed the other on his own head. “I will be your guide, help you find the right memories. Put this on and we can begin.”

He hesitated; staring at the head band, not wanting to face what he was sure would only hurt. In the end he had no other options and nothing to lose by trying. He placed the headband on his head and closed his eyes. The first image that popped up on the little screen was Keith in the Blade uniform, fighting through the trials. He could see every detail as if he was right back there; vividly he shared the memory with Coran. Watching the boy struggle as he was outnumbered, watching as the projection of Shiro walked away from him, watching as he activated the blade, and hearing the words from Kolivan. Shiro shuddered and his hand twitched again.

Coran took charge; he could feel the Altean sifting through his mind searching for a memory to replace it. After a tick an image appeared before them, it was his apartment back on Earth. Sitting on the couch was a 14 year old Keith wrapped in a purple blanket and resting his head on Adam’s lap. There were wadded up tissues on the coffee table and a bottle of Nyquil with a straw in it. Shiro felt the warmth of the memory wash over him as he watched his boyfriend and little brother. A movie was playing that only Adam seemed to be watching, Keith was sound asleep … purring.

“I remember this.” He said as a tear fell, “he was so sick, we were worried and didn’t know what to do. He started acting strangely but would panic if we mentioned taking him to the doctor so Adam just sat with him on the couch letting him sleep cause he wouldn’t sleep alone.” Shiro took a deep breath as Coran continued sifting.

A memory of Keith at the Garrison, that boy James had been teasing him about his parents and Keith lost all control. His eyes flashed yellow, and his irises narrowed into slits for a brief moment before he lunged at the boy. Shiro had pulled him off as Iverson picked up a hurt James. Keith was almost hissing under his breath, almost – but he looked up at Shiro so much pain in his eyes that it nearly broke him.

Next was Adam and Shiro in bed, lying in each other’s arms as he gently traced circles across his boyfriend’s chest. Smiling as the sun reflected around their room, shining directly into Adams deep brown eyes and causing him to squint angrily at the offending brightness. Some loud banging and crashing sounds could be heard outside the door and Adam let out a soft giggle, turning to look Shiro in the eyes he said ‘what is that kid up to?’ and Shiro could only  shrug.  Soon their door opened and Keith walked in carrying a tray of what could have been called breakfast but just looked like charcoal. He smiled sheepishly as he placed the tray on the bed with a quiet ‘Happy Anniversary’.  The two men exchanged a confused look between themselves before the boy piped up ‘it’s been 1 year today that you let me stay here. I love you guys … and I – uh – I just wanted to say thanks.’

A sudden warmth spread throughout his entire body and a tear fell down his cheek as Coran broke the connection. Shiro looked at the man, eyes on the brink of spilling. “I needed that.”

“I know, sometimes it is best to remind ourselves of the person we care about, and not to dwell on things outside of their control.” Coran stood to return the headbands and the door to the training room closed. They both looked at each other, and panic returned to Shiro’s chest. _Oh God please don’t let that have been Keith!_ He jumped up from his place on the floor and ran out into the hall, catching a retreating Allura. He stopped chasing, giving up as she turned a corner, far faster on her feet than he was. Instead, he went back into the training deck to alert Coran before making his way to the lounge for some much needed breakfast.

* * *

It was still rather early, so he was naturally the first one there. Grabbing a bowl of food goo he took a seat and used the alone time to replay the memories Coran had shown him.

He realized that there was a part of him that always knew Keith was different, he had never suspected actual Alien heritage, but he knew the boy was different from the other kids. He was sweet and caring but hard and aggressive. For someone so sensitive to his own emotions it was strange that he had such a hard time connecting with others.

The door opened and Pidge walked in. He could see an idea flickering behind her eyes as she rushed over to him. Excitedly she launched into some hair brained scheme about sending Keith into a Galra cruiser undercover and Shiro nearly choked on his food goo. _She couldn’t be serious?! NO NO NO!_ This was exactly Keith’s fear. He had been terrified of becoming one of Zarkon’s minions, sending him undercover would be the worst possible thing for his fragile psyche.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. We can use the Blades for undercover spy work, not Keith” He tried to reason with her, show her that there were other options, but she was persistent.

"Don't you think he would want to help? He might take it better if he knew how useful this could be.”

"No! End of story Pidge. I know you mean well but trust me, Keith doesn't need to be used as a tool or a weapon, he needs to be treated like an equal member of this team. He needs us to treat him like nothing has changed. Keith is going to need some time to deal with the revelation and being thrown into a Galra ship, dressed as Galra soldier is NOT going to help him." He saw Keith’s fearful face flash before him, the look in his violet eyes as he had shared his darkest nightmare. There was no way Shiro was going to let it become a reality.

"Fine" She conceded. "I guess you're right." She paused, and for just a moment he thought he may have won before she produced a new idea, a far far more terrifying idea. "Can I borrow him for a while this afternoon? I want to run some tests on his blood and see just how much .."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!! Pidge he is not a science experiment, or a toy for you to poke and prod. Are you forgetting that he is still HUMAN!" _What is wrong with her!!_ For someone so smart, so attuned to the world around her, how can she forget this. He saw the embarrassment on her face, the look of realization in her eyes as the effects her request could have on their team member fully sank in.

She hid her face as she looked down. "Shiro - I'm so sorry. I - I got caught up and I'm sorry." He could tell she meant it and he smiled at her, knowing she was really only trying to help.

* * *

Keith stuffed more muffins in his mouth; he really seemed to like them. He was so much more relaxed this morning, like the boy he had grown to love; his little brother! Until he abruptly closed himself in, sitting back against the couch, arms folded, and eyes heavy with burden. Shiro looked up, trying to find the cause as his gaze locked onto the cold stare of Allura.  _Damn it._

Coran was talking to Pidge and Hunk about the muffin’s ingredients, but Shiro was watching Keith. He didn’t notice Keith had been listening until he spoke up.

“Was?” his voice was quiet but full of question. He was genuinely interested in the conversation but didn’t want to give it much attention. 

Coran launched into an explanation that Shiro wasn’t listening to just as the doors opened and a ridiculously cheerful Lance strolled in.

He was just about to thank Lance for being such a good friend to Keith when the argument broke out. _Of course it did_. Lance was sitting on the floor after having been shoved off Keith’s lap. The two boys were bickering about some spot on the couch and Shiro didn’t have the patience for it, not today.

“Lance just go sit by Coran.” He internally rolled his eyes as the words came out, but Keith jumped up and stormed over to the wall. That little brat, Lance just couldn’t leave him alone for two seconds.

“Guess everything is back to normal then eh!” Coran’s voice cleared the fog. _Normal?_  Yes!! OMG how could he have missed it! Normal for Keith and Lance was the bickering, the teasing, and the getting under each other’s skin. Lance was showing Keith that nothing had changed. That sly little bugger.

The next thing he knew Keith was lunging across the couch, tackling Lance to the floor and shoving green muffins in his mouth. _What had he missed_? The boys were rolling around in spilt food goo as the door opened.

Allura was back, he hadn’t even noticed that she left. Following closely were two Galra, Shiro recognized them as Kolivan and Antok. Keith jumped to his feet, receiving a disapproving head shake from the leader before Lance opened is big mouth. Shiro could feel the rejection flowing off Keith as the larger Galra spoke. “We are not the half-breed’s ‘buddies’. How dare you address us so casually!”

Stopping the situation from getting any worse, Shiro interjected. “I assume you are here for our meeting? I think it best if we go to the control room while the others have a chance to finish their breakfasts and clean up.” He turned to the 4 younger paladins, “Meet us in the control room in 2 vargas.”

 


	7. War Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They walked to the control room, Allura and Coran in front followed by the two Galra Blades with Shiro at the back. He watch as the group conversed in each of their languages, seeing their mouths move at a different pace than the words that were coming out. Knowing the castle’s communication systems were translating what were obviously two different alien languages, he listened to the English words he heard.
> 
> ‘The paladin is too young …’ — ‘I don’t care Coran, I don’t want to look at him.’ — ‘The half-breed may prove useful’ — ‘Allura you need to understand …’ — ‘He is clearly still a child!’ — “No, I don’t trust him.’
> 
> Shiro’s head was spinning from trying to keep up with the two conversations simultaneously.

They walked to the control room, Allura and Coran in front followed by the two Galra Blades with Shiro at the back. He watch as the group conversed in each of their languages, seeing their mouths move at a different pace than the words that were coming out. Knowing the castle’s communication systems were translating what were obviously two different alien languages, he listened to the English words he heard.

‘The paladin is too young …’ — ‘I don’t care Coran, I don’t want to look at him.’ — ‘The half-breed may prove useful’ — ‘Allura you need to understand …’ — ‘He is clearly still a child!’ — “No, I don’t trust him.’

Shiro’s head was spinning from trying to keep up with the two conversations simultaneously.

When they arrived at the control room the group spread out around the console while Coran pulled up a holographic map. He remembered this same map from when they had first arrived at the castle. Coran and Allura had used it to show the paladins how much of the universe Zarkon had taken over, as well as just how far away from home they were. This hit him surprisingly hard. _Home_. He was so far away from Earth, from Adam. A sudden pain built in his chest, the trip down memory lane with Coran had made Adams smiling face dance across his mind. God he missed Adam. Once this war was over he was going to go home to him, squeeze him, and never ever leave again. Having Keith around had helped him feel a little less homesick, but it didn’t stop the ache.

He had been lost in his thoughts, in his memories, for too long. The group was staring at him expectantly, waiting for an answer to a question he had not heard.

“Paladin, do you have trouble with your hearing?” The large Galra asked rather bluntly.

“No, my hearing is just fine.” It came out a little snippier than he had intended, “I was lost in thought.”

“I hope those thoughts were of forming a plan, as we currently have no such thing.” The leader - Kolivan, was not being directly hostile though his tone was far from polite and he was quite blunt.

 _Must be a Galra thing._ Shiro thought as he imagined Keith saying those exact words.

They tossed a few ideas around, occasionally landing on one that involved Keith sneaking onto a ship, which were quickly squashed by Kolivan stating ‘the boy didn’t have the training and was far too young’. Shiro was glad that they weren’t going to throw him to the wolves … or purple space cats as Lance had so eloquently put it. He chuckled to himself remember Keith repeating the line fondly. He didn’t want to send Keith onto a ship if it could be avoided. Allura’s eyes turned to him, narrowed slightly, before turning back to the Galra leader speaking to her. She was being cold with them, not her usual diplomatic self. They didn’t seem to notice, or maybe they did but just didn’t care.

After a few more failed suggestions and dead ends the door opened behind him. Hearing Coran’s voice he turned to see Keith and Lance enter the room.

"Ahh Red and Blue! Welcome to the meeting." Coran was back to his characteristic energy. The two Galra were stoic, and Allura was cold. She smiled at Lance but shot daggers at Keith who simply rolled his eyes and moved to stand directly beside her. Shiro stifled a giggle as he took in the panicked look on her face. She moved, inching just slightly closer to him as she glared angrily at Keith. Never one to back down from a fight he met her eyes, glare for glare, before turning to address Kolivan and Antok.

They had definitely noticed the exchange and were either impressed by Keith’s nerve or ‘put off’ by his insubordination; Shiro couldn’t tell which.

“Remember when Shiro told you guys about the whole ‘me being Galra’ thing? Antok is actually the one who tackled me at the base and took my knife.” Keith was speaking to a very clearly out of it Lance who looked like he had snapped back to reality about half way through.

"Dude I have no idea what you just said. I was not listening at all!" Yup, typical Lance. Shiro watched Keith roll his eyes and turn away as Pidge and Hunk finally arrived.

The meeting carried on as it had before, the only difference being the 4 new additions. Every so often Pidge would throw out some techno babble that no one really understood while Hunk and Lance just sat on the sidelines and listened to the ‘grownups’ talk. Keith was a different story. He tried to contribute, and Shiro tried to acknowledge him, but Allura made it difficult. Any suggestion Keith had she would completely ignore or immediately dismiss.

Keith’s breaking point came when he suggested luring Zarkon’s ship way from the fleets and Allura immediately dismissed it as impossible, only to suggest the exact same thing a few ticks later. He watched the drive slowly fade from his little brother’s eyes, Allura draining the will out of him. Something inside Shiro broke; he felt his heart drop as Keith stood in silence, resigned to being a spectator. After a dobash, Lance came and stood beside Keith, who smiled up at him before refocusing on the war meeting. The two boys weren’t able to participate but had each other as company while they stood and listened.

* * *

After the plan had been set, Shiro turned towards the other two paladins. To absolutely no-ones surprise Hunk was out cold and Pidge was furiously typing on her laptop. He walked over and caught a glimpse of the screen before she registered he was beside her.

 _Primary Ingredient: Blue Seedless Berries_  
_Planet of Origin: Arrusia_  
_Distillation Period: Approximately 94 Earth Days_  
_ABV: 68.42%_

WHAT??? That’s basically absinthe. Were they making alcohol?? Shiro stared down at Pidge with a knowing look, whispering, “We will talk about what I just saw later.”

Pidge simply returned an innocent smile that wasn’t convincing anybody before jumping to wake up Hunk, avoiding Shiro’s gaze.

The plan was laid out in full to the team and assignments were distributed. Everyone had their job to do, and once they were done; Zarkon would be defeated. They could all go home to their loved ones. Shiro would see Adam again and the thought made his heart smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who would you rather see next:  
> \- Allura  
> \- Coran  
> \- Hunk  
> 


End file.
